Something There
by 12anonymous33
Summary: Church and Tex have a little conversation before heading out to Red Base one last time.


"Damn it, Sheila, damn it, Vick, damn it, O'Malley, damn it all!" I grumble to myself as I trudge into Blue Base.

Now I know what it feels like to have too much on your plate. O'Malley could be lurking around _anywhere_, but now I'm being ordered to attack those stupid Reds. They are the least of my fucking problems!

I snarl in frustration, removing my helmet and shaking out my hair. I need some fresh air.

"Stop that. You look like a mangy dog."

I turn towards the base's living area and, to my surprise, I see Tex pouring herself a glass of water and lounging around like she owns the place. How the hell did she get in here so quickly?

"Whatever," I mumble, entering the room and grabbing a glass for myself. "Change of plans, Tex," I say, sitting down across from her. "We're gonna have to go take Red base. Command's orders."

The Freelancer blinks. I can tell by the look on her face that she wants to start bitching about how _vital_ it is that we find O'Malley. Surprisingly, she doesn't complain.

"Alright," she sighs, "You're the boss."

We sit in silence for awhile. I sip my water while she shifts uncomfortably in her seat.

God, I hate awkward silences.

"So you got York to help you," I speak up. "What's up with him? I guess he didn't want to come back here with you?"

Tex doesn't meet my gaze. I can tell something's been bugging her.

"...Yeah," my ex replies softly, "He and Delta couldn't come."

I start to lean towards her, arms resting on the table. "Tex," I call her name softly, in a tone I rarely use. "Did something happen when you guys were fighting Wyoming?"

I honestly don't know why I'm even caring about this. I guess a small part of me still worries about Tex.

She lifts her head, narrowing her eyes. I had dated her long enough to know that she doesn't want to talk about it.

"Okay," I say, backing off. "Never mind, then."

Tex's eyes soften. "You know," she begins, "York can be pretty annoying at times, but he's...noble." She hesitates, biting her lip. "I mean, he had the balls to help me go after Wyoming. He's a true comrade."

I can only nod. It's rare to hear my ex talking so highly of somebody. I remember when she used to talk about me like that.

"I can't believe I didn't kill that slimy bastard," she mutters sourly. I open my mouth to reply, but something makes me freeze.

I look down at the table and see that _I'm holding Tex's fucking hand_.

We both gasp and release our hold on each other. I stammer pathetically, rubbing the back of my head. Well, time for me to die...again.

"Eh, sorry about that," I say weakly, "Force of habit." I tense up, prepared to bolt when Tex explodes on me.

But she doesn't. She just sits there, looking around at everything in the vicinity but me.

"Uh...no big deal," she responds nervously, "It...took me a while to notice."

Real freaking smooth, Church. I probably just creeped her the hell out. My mind races as I try to figure out how to ease the tension building between us.

"Hey, come with me to Red Base." It's the first thing that tumbles out of my mouth. "I'll have Tucker accompany us. I'll keep the other idiots busy somewhere else."

Tex looks up at me and scoffs, reverting back to her old, sarcastic self. "Yeah, Heaven knows you need a Freelancer like me watching your ass all the time."

I smirk. Too easy.

"Yeah, you'd love that, wouldn't you, Tex." I get up, strutting away from her. I think Tucker's douchiness is starting to rub off on me.

"ASSHOLE."

I chuckle, glancing over my shoulder. Her face has turned slightly pink, and she grudgingly gets up to follow me out. I don't remember the last time I made her blush like that.

"BOW CHIKA BOW WOW!" Someone cries from the top of our base, pulling us out of our little world. We both stop and glare up at the ceiling.

"Tucker," I growl, "How could he-"

"I don't know," Tex sighs exasperatedly, picking up her helmet and weapons. "Why don't we destroy him _after_ we finish this mission, okay?"

"Fine," I groan, but as I pull my helmet on, I see the the smallest of smiles gracing the Freelancer's face. I've forgotten how much I like seeing her smile.

"Ready?" I ask, heading towards the ramp. "Let's go rally the troops."

"Right behind you, Church," she answers, catching up and falling into step next to me.

It's times like these, I realize, that make me wonder if there's still something between Tex and I. It's wistful to think that we could ever get back to the way we were before.

However, I do know one thing. After I take care of the Reds, I'll make sure that O'Malley never screws with Tex ever again.

No sadistic AI or stupid teammate is gonna get in my way.


End file.
